Improvement in devices for stopping and starting railroad-cars



J. STEG-ER.

- GAR STARTER.

No. 39,999. Patented Sept. 15,1863

IN! NAMNAI. mmAI-Hml COMPANY.

WASHINGTON. u. o.

i UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH s-rnen'i. or NEW YORK, N. Assnixon. 'ro emu-Lies w. BAKER,

or SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN DEVICES FOR STOPPINGAND STARTING RAILROAD-CARS.

Specific-alien forming'pnrt. ofLettcrs latcnt No. 39.999, dated September15.1863.

.To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 'l, Josnrn S'rncnmof the city, county, and State of New York, have invented-a new and Improved Device for Stopping and Starting tailroad-Cars; and I-do'hercby declare that the following is a full,-clcar, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying d rawings, forming a part of this specification,- in which- Figure 1 represents a plan or top view of myinvention. Fig; 2 is a longitudinal ver-- tical section of the same, the line m m, Fig. 1, indicating the plane of section. 1 Fig. 3' is a transverse vr'n'tieal'scetion-"of the same,.

taken in the plane indicated by the line 7 7 Fig. 1, Fig. 4a is a detached sectional view of the internal gear, the line 5 Fig. 3, in dieating the plane of section.

Similar letters of reference in the. several riews indicate corresponding parts. The'objeet of this invention is to accumulate or save the momentum of a car as the same is stopped, and to apply the momentum thus saved to start or to assist in starting the ear.

The nature of my invention and themeehanism which I employ to effect my purpose will be readily understood from the following description.

A represents the body of a railroad-car, which is supported by four wheels, B B,\attaehed to the axles C 0, in the ordinary mannor.

1) is a drum, which is rigidly secured to the hollow shaft E of the pinion F,.and which connects, by means of a cord, a, with aspring, G, that is inclosed in a tubular case, H. .This case is secured to the end of the car or otherwise attaehed'to the frame or platform of the same, andithe cord (0 is secured to the spring G in such amanner that when the drum is rotated theeord winds on the same and the.

spring is gathered up or compressed. The hollow shaft E, which bears the drum D,'is placed loosely on the axle O, and it is madeto rotate with said axle by a frictionelntch, I,. which slides on the said axle, being'eempelled to revolve with the same by a suitable key or feather, This friction-clutch is appiied tothe drum by means of a hand-levelyd, thatis $9 rotates-on a stud, Z, secured in a disk, 0, that is fastened to the body of the car by means of a bracket, f. The pinion K meshes into an internal gear, g, on the innersurfiiee of a drum,

L, which rotates freely on the axle G.

M is a friction-clutch which slides on the axle (1, being compelled to rotate with the same by means of a key, 71 This clutch is forced up against thedrnm L by tappets'i, se

cured to a rock-shaft, j, which is operated by a treadle. 7. This trezulleleonneets with the roek-shaft by suitable levers or arms in such a.1nanner that by throwing the treadle in the direction of the arrow marked near itin Figs. 1 and 3 the friction-clutch M is caused to bear against the drum L and to partake of the m0- ti'on which may be imparted to said drum.

The operation is as follows; Ifthe car moves in the direction of the arrow marked near it in Fig. 1, and it is desired to stop the same and to accumulate its lllOlTlClliilHn, the handlever J is thrown in the direction of thearrow marked near i t in Figs. 1 and 3, and the clutch I is pressed up against the drum D. The spring (1- is forced up by the action of the cord (i and the car-stops. When it is desired to start the car, the treadle ,L is depressed. By the action of this treadlc the friction-cll1teh M is forced up against the drum L, and at the same time the hand-lever J is forced back, so i that the clutch I'rcleases the drum D, and the latter is forced to follow the action of the spring G. By the action of the internal gear, 1* K 1 the motion oft-he drum D is transmitted to the drum L, and thence bythe action of the clutch M to the axle G. The internal gear is so arranged that the motion of the axle will be in a forward direction, and the op- ,erat ion of starting the caris considerably faciliiated.

\Vhat Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by 4 Letters Patent, is-- 

